London, Ont. – The Flint Firebirds begin a “three-games in three-days” weekend Friday when the club faces-off against the London Knights at the Budweiser Gardens (capacity 9,046). Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. in the first-of-four meetings between the two teams this season.

Flint is coming off a successful five-game home-stand that saw the Firebirds win three times. Flint is now 4-2-0-0 at home and 2-2-1-0 on the road this season. The Firebirds are in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 6-4-1-0 overall record while London is in 10th place with a 3-8-1-0 record. London is currently on a two-game winning-streak but is 0-4-1-0 on home-ice at the Budweiser Gardens this season. The most amount of goals Flint has scored in one game at the Budweiser Gardens is three, in the most recent game in London, on Mar. 17, 2017.

Flint is 3-0-0-0 when leading after one period of play and is 2-1 in one-goal games this season.

On special teams, Flint is ninth out of 20 OHL teams on the power-play, scoring at 18.9%. The Firebirds have scored 10 goals with the man-advantage which includes at least one power-play goal in eight of their 11 games this season. Flint is 17th on the penalty-kill, operating at 76.0% when shorthanded. The Firebirds have scored four shorthanded goals in 11 games and are tied with the Erie Otters for fourth most shorthanded goals in the OHL this season. The Knights are currently 17th in the OHL with the man-advantage at at 11.7% and are 13th overall on the penalty-kill at 79.2%. London has not been scored on in the past six games while on the penalty-kill.

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (6-4-1-0, 6th Western Conference):Nicolas Mattinen (Toronto Maple Leafs) will make his first return to London as a visitor Friday night after being acquired in a trade with the Knights on Sep. 19 (more info). Mattinen leads the team in plus-minus with a plus-7 rating. In 11 games with the Firebirds the Toronto Maple Leaf draft choice has two goals and six assists, totaling eight points. Mattinen is within two points of reaching his personal career record of points (10) in a single OHL season, which he set in his rookie year in 2015-16 with the Knights.

Despite both Maurizio Colella and Ryan Moore’s six-game point-streak coming to an end Sunday afternoon, both remain tied for the team lead in points with 14. In the six-game streak, Colella, who leads the Firebird’s in goals with seven, notched his seven goals and three assists for 10 points while Moore contributed four goals and eight assists for 12 points. Moore leads the team in assists with 10.

Two more players joined the Firebird’s double digit club in points last weekend. Nicholas Caamano (Dallas Stars) and Jake Durham are the newest members with 10 points each. Durham has two goals among his 10 points and Caamano has lit-the-lamp four times this season. Caamano’s also leads the team in penalty minutes with 21. Colella, Moore and Ty Dellandrea hit double digits, earlier this year.

Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs) is tied for fifth among all OHL defenseman in scoring with three goals in 11 games this season. Gordeev scored a power-play goal for Flint on Sunday and also recorded a goal and an assist in Flint’s last game in London on Mar. 17, 2017.

In net, Garrett Forrest is the 13th-best goaltender statistically in the OHL with a 3.24 goals against average (GAA) and a .905 save percentage (SAV%). Forrest has earned all six Firebirds’ victories this season. Luke Cavallin, who was the highest selected goaltender in the 2017 OHL Draft, has played in two OHL games in his rookie campaign.

NHL: The Firebirds have three players that have been drafted by NHL teams consisting of Nick Caamano (Dallas Stars), Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Nicholas Mattinen (Toronto Maple Leafs). Additionally, Dennis Busby, Ty Dellandrea, Hunter Holmes, Ryan Littlejohn and Jack Wismer are five first time eligible players to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft in June 2018. Busby, Dellandrea and Holmes were listed among NHL Central Scouting’s October ‘Players to Watch’ list for the 2018 NHL Draft in June.

London Knights (3-8-1-0, 10th Western Conference):London is led up front by Evan Bouchard who has 11 points (3G, 8A) in 12 games this season and is in the midst of a three-game point-streak. Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues) is also currently on a three-game point-streak and is second on the Knights’ roster with five goals and five assists in nine games. Max Jones (Anaheim Ducks) has six goals in nine games, scoring four times in his last two games. Cliff Pu, who signed a three-year entry level contract with the Buffalo Sabres this week, has six points (1G, 5A) in 11 games. Alex Formenton was a second-round (47th overall) selection by the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 NHL Draft. After making his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings in Ottawa on Saturday, Oct. 7, Formenton has earned an assist in each of the two games he has played with London this season.

Between-the-pipes, Joseph Raaymakers holds a 2-0 record after being acquired by London from Sault Ste. Marie in a trade on Oct. 17. Raaymakers has recorded a 1.50 GAA and a .953 SAV%. If Raaymakers starts Friday, it will be his first as a Knight on home-ice in London. Jordan Kooy has notched a 3.92 GAA and a .873 SAV% in six games with London this season.

Five London skaters were listed among NHL Central Scouting’s October ‘Players to Watch’ list for the 2018 NHL Draft in June consisting of Evan Bouchard, Liam Foudy, Jordan Kooy, Billy Moskal and Alex Regula.

Broadcast Coverage:Friday evening’s contest against the London Knights can be heard live on the radio throughout Flint & Mid-Michigan on US 103.1 FM, online at www.us103.com or by downloading the US 103 app here. Dominic Hennig will call the play-by-play action on the Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Network. Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 7:00 p.m.

Friday’s game against the Knights will also be televised live in London on channel 13 / 510 (HD) for Rogers TV cable subscribers. Additionally, the game will be televised live throughout the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 464 for Rogers TV cable subscribers and channel 495 Cogeco TV cable subscribers. OHL fans with cable television in Ontario can add the OHL Action Pak to their television plan to catch the Firebirds in action, home or away all season long. Along with Friday’s game, 64 of the Firebirds’ 68 games throughout the 2017-18 season are also scheduled to be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak.=

All Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2017-18 season can be watched anywhere in the world online on www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live app. OHL Live is a league video streaming platform that delivers high quality live and on-demand coverage of all regular season and playoff games annually. The cost is $6.99 per game, $69.99 for Flint Firebirds away games only, $179.99 for all 68 home and away Firebirds games and $279.99 for all 1,360 OHL games throughout the 2017-18 season.

Firebirds Facts

Next Home Game:Spend this Saturday evening trick-or-treating in a fun, safe and dry environment with the Flint Firebirds Hockey Club. The Firebirds host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. (ET) and special Halloween festivities are slated for the contest.

There will be several fun promotions on tap for the Flint Firebirds home game vs. the Greyhounds. Adults and kids are encouraged to dress up for the costume contest and on-ice costume parade, there will be trick-or-treating throughout the arena, bounce houses, balloon twisters, face painters and other fun promotions will take place during the duration of the game. Children (12 and under) that are wearing a costume will receive free admission to the game if accompanied by a paying adult (Limited to one child ticket per adult).

Single game tickets for the Flint Firebirds 2017-18 season are $12 for Bronze, $16 for Silver, $20 for Gold and $26 for VIP seating. All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office and online at ticketmaster.com. For ticket information, flex tickets or group outings, contact Dominic Gutierrez at (810) 701-8536 or domg@flintfirebirds.com. To book a private suite, please contact Karla Turner at (810) 744-0580 ext. 213 or email karla@flintfirebirds.com.

World Under-17 Challenge:Flint’s rookie goaltender Luke Cavallin and forward Ethan Keppen were selected to represent Hockey Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Nov. 5-11 in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C. A total of 23 OHL players were selected by Hockey Canada which consists of three teams (Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red and Team Canada White) in the annual tournament that features the best under-17 players in the country when they compete against the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States in their quest for a gold medal. Firebirds’ Head Coach Ryan Oulahen has been tabbed to lead Team Canada White along with Keppen. Cavallin will suit up for Team Canada Red. (read more)

Firebirds Acquire Picks in Trade with Kitchener:
The Firebirds completed a trade on Monday, Oct. 17 with the Kitchener Rangers. In the trade, the Firebirds acquired four draft picks consisting of Kitchener’s second-round pick in the 2019 OHL Draft, Sault Ste. Marie’s second-round pick in the 2020 OHL Draft, Kitchener’s fifth-round pick in the 2020 OHL Draft and Kitchener’s third-round pick in the 2021 OHL Draft. In exchange, the Rangers received Firebirds’ overage right-winger Kole Sherwood. (read more)

Group Ticket Packages
Whether you’re entertaining corporate clients, celebrating a special occasion, having a fun night out with the family and friends or rewarding employees…we have a fun, easy and affordable plan for you. It’s more than a ticket, it’s an experience! Contact Dominic Gutierrez at (810) 701-8536 or domg@flintfirebirds.comto book your group outing today.

Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Coach’s Show
Join Head Coach Ryan Oulahen, Maggie Meadow’s and the Voice of the Firebirds Dominic Hennig from 6-7 p.m. every other Tuesday night at Timothy’s Pub in Flint, Michigan. They recap the previous week of events, preview the upcoming games on the ice and take your emails and tweets! If you can’t make it to Timothy’s, tune in at www.banana1015.com on on 101.5 FM WWBN. (read more)

Firebirds Gear
Stop by the Flint Firebirds Merchandise Store at the Dort Federal Event Center, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. to stock up on the best Firebirds’ gear around. Jerseys, shirts, hats, hoodies, game pucks, mouse pads and other accessories and collectables are available at the Flint Firebirds Merchandise Store.

Social Media
Stay connected with the Flint Firebirds 24-7, 365. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and add us on Snapchat! Find all of the Firebirds social media handles online at www.flintfirebirds.com/socialmedia.

Flint Firebirds Dressing Room & Facilities
Home of the Flint Firebirds, the Dort Federal Event Center received a multi-million dollar renovation in the summer of 2015 that provides the club a first class dressing room, facilities and other amenities to help the players and staff maximize their careers and goals to advance to the National Hockey League. Click here to see a photo album of the Flint Firebirds dressing room and facilities.

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